Vicious Circle
by Dreamweaver4121
Summary: A pair of familiar (read: overused) happenings evolves into something far greater. Loose ends are tied and roles are reversed as things come to a full, vicious circle. Sequal to Tainted Hearts and Third Eye.
1. Default Chapter

'How did things turn out like this?'

This was a question that plagued Yamucha for well over a decade. For a guy like himself who was so afraid of women, finding a woman like Bulma was a miracle. It was then he finally broke free from his unreasonable fear. He was free and that was a debt he really wanted to spend his life repaying to her. 

It just wasn't meant to be, damn her. For whatever reason, she decided she would be better off with someone who nearly killed her and everyone around her by blowing up the planet she was on...twice. The way she flaunted their child around, taunting him was absolutely infuriating.

'Damn...that should have been OUR child!!!'

But it got worse. Kuririn related a couple of episodes with Bulma actively flirting with other men...other enemies. General Blue of the Red Ribbon army…Zarbon from Freeza's army...it was said that those who cheat are usually the ones who suspect their significant others of cheating. That was probably why she was always accusatory towards him every time a woman gave him any sort of attention.

Finding out all of these things about her left him with conflicted feelings. As much as he hated losing her, especially to that bastard, Vegeta, he felt he was better off without having such a cold hearted BITCH at his side and that those two deserved each other. But even that didn't pan out the way he thought. Bulma became the devoted wife and doting mother. Vegeta...became less the Vegeta he knew. He was even kind in his own way.

The very thought of the two of them together absolutely repulsed Yamucha. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails drew blood. His teeth ground together and his lips were curled in a ferocious snarl. His eyes were narrowed so much so that at first glance, they could've been mistaken for closed. But once you could see into them, you would have found they were bathing in unimaginable rage, struggling against the bounds of his sanity, waiting to burst fourth. 

'With the things that Goku and Chichi have been through,' Yamucha thought, 'look at how well they turned out together. Kuririn put himself out so much...sacrificed so much for 18. They ended up so well. Kassex and Chaozu had recently been through quite the ordeal themselves. From what I saw last, it looks like they'll end up just fine. But...but Bulma and I have, by far, been through the most together. She helped me overcome my fear of women...it's because of her that I got to train under Master Roshi...I have saved her life so many times, I can't even remember them all...so why...'

He threw his head back and his arms out, as if setting his rage against the heavens. "WHERE THE HELL DID **-OUR-** HAPPY ENDING GO???" In his rage, his incredibly augmented powers exploded outward and upward, as if it were a mighty sword piercing the heart of the sky opening a wound that would match half of the size as the one in his own.

When the energy of his directionless attack faded, the high ridges and mountains that littered his once serine surroundings were gone. The once fertile valley now resembled the desert where he once called home. 

At this point, anyone with any knowledge of ki would've been very disturbed by what happened. Not by the magnitude, for any who knew of him and his recent change would expect it be at such an intense level...that of a Super Saiyan 2. What they would've been concerned with was the ki itself. Most Humans with control of their ki have a bright colored aura: usually a brilliant white or yellow. Yamucha's ki was, usually, the brilliant white.

At that time, however, his ki appeared in flux. The white was a light blue around the edges, growing darker as it reached back to its source. Every so often, the dark blue would completely overtake the white, only to have the white flare back into dominance. The change could also be seen in his eyes, as they were illuminated by a blue glow, flickering in time with the dark blue tendrils of his changing ki. 

Suddenly, Yamucha blinked and the glow was gone. His ki, likewise dissipated as something new caught the attention of his senses. A lot of new energy signatures appeared...alien, yet strangely familiar...all very high. His mind was in such a fog; it was hard to put his finger on exactly why they felt familiar. What he could determine, though, was that there were seven of them, they were coming from space, and they were rapidly heading towards the vicinity of West City...where –they- lived.

"Looks like things are about to get interesting again..."

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z:

Vicious Circle

Part 1

For some reason, the days seemed brighter and more pleasant for Gohan. Not coincidentally, the days appeared brighter and more pleasant ever since he and Videl declared their feelings for each other. Almost all of the days since then have been spent training, trying to help her to control her powers. Lately, though, the time after their training sessions have been…even more fun, to say the least.

It's not going to be as fun this time, however. Goku decided he was going to head over to Capsule Corp to train with Vegeta in the gravity room and invited Gohan and Videl to join them. They decided it was a good idea, since their usual way of doing things weren't going to work as it had the previous few weeks (Mr. Satan, who had been away for a while had returned home, and so Gohan and Videl didn't have the alone time they used to.)

Arriving first, Gohan made his way into the main building of the Capsule Corporation's headquarters. "Hello," greeted Bulma, as Gohan walked into the main room.

Gohan bowed respectfully, "Hi Bulma." 

"Ya just caught me as I was on my way out the door. I'm about to go shopping with Trunks."

"Oh, well, I won't hold you up. Is my dad here?"

"Of course," Bulma went. "He and Vegeta are in the gravity room already."

"Ah, I see. Thank you Bulma. Have fun" With that, Gohan made his way through the large structure to a set of large, mechanical doors that lead to the gravity room. It's been a while since he did any training for himself and he thought it would be good to get some in before Videl showed up. Looking at the control panel, Bulma's words were confirmed, as the gravity room was in use and was set to 500 times gravity. Pushing the door control on the panel, he opened the portal and entered.

He stood in the doorway for a few seconds so that his body could adjust to the extreme change in gravity. Ahead of him, his father and Vegeta were engaged in a sparring match. As usual, they were so involved, they didn't notice Gohan had entered the room with them.

Gohan didn't know why, but it was apparent that, for some reason, his father wasn't giving Vegeta his best. His attacks were very sloppy and his defense was full of holes...a point driven home when Vegeta tagged him with a hard right to the face that left him sprawled on the cold floor.

"Feh...what in the world is wrong with you Kakarotto?" spat Vegeta. "I'd bet Bulma's old man would give me a better fight now than you."

"Sorry Vegeta," Goku went. "I guess I'm just distracted."

"You should know better than anyone what distractions could do in a real fight."  Goku didn't argue. He knew Vegeta was right and he didn't have an excuse. "So…what is it that has you so preoccupied?"

"Well…I'm still thinking about that whole Majin Buu mess," started Goku. "You know from that incident, that you and I won't be around forever to deal with whatever may come up to threaten the Earth."

"Humph, nonsense. We are Saiyans," boasted Vegeta. "We have proven that we can defeat any enemy brought before us, even from beyond the grave."

"But that only happened because we were given special permission," Goku reminded him. "If we were to die again, we can't count on always getting that when there's trouble. I really thought that the Earth would've been in good hands with Gohan and the boys. I had such high hopes for them..."

Vegeta nodded, "I see what you mean. Even though Majin Buu was an exceptional opponent, it was sad to see how easily our sons let themselves get beaten." He gave some thought to the subject and then continued, "As much as I hate to say it, there are those Human fighters now. If anything new comes up and we're not here, at least they can help."

"But they can't always be counted on either. I mean, sure they've gotten more powerful, but they have gotten older. Even though it's said they've effectively become Saiyans, it's hard to say if they'll live as long as we do. We need to focus on the next generation. Besides Videl and, probably #18, who else would be there?" Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the gravity room's door closing. They looked up to find there was no one there.

Back on the outside, Gohan digested what he heard. It seemed that he had been a disappointment yet again. How was it, that for all his power, he still managed to let everyone down? Only his father could come close to matching his full power, so why was it that when it came down to it, only his father could win the day in the end. What was it that made them so different?

"Gohan!"

Blinking, Gohan looked up. It seemed his legs had unconsciously carried him back outside of the Capsule Corp. building. And he now, found himself standing face to face with, "Videl..."

"What're you doing coming out?" she asked. "I thought we were going in to train with your dad?" He forgot about that just that quickly. But he really didn't want to go back in there. There was no way he could face Vegeta and his dad after that little conversation of theirs. "Hey..." went Videl, "is something wrong?"

"Erm….ah…" Gohan tried to come up with a good excuse to give her, when one literally dropped in on them. An explosion ripped its way through the cityscape, followed by subsequent explosions. "I suppose that answers that…"

"What's going on over there?"

"We'd better find out." Gohan's ki came to life and he rocketed into the air, with Videl following suit soon after. 

They weren't in the air long when Goku and Vegeta joined them. "Gohan! Videl!" started Goku, "I was wondering what happened to you two. So, you felt those strange power signatures too, huh?"

Gohan didn't answer immediately, so Videl chimed in for him. "Actually, we heard a lot of explosions coming from the middle of the city." 

"Oh…yeah...that would work too." Without a word, Gohan's ki intensified and he sped off into the heart of the city. "Huh? What do you suppose is wrong with him?"

Videl shrugged, "Ya got me."

**        **

Videl, Goku and Vegeta finally caught up with Gohan once they reached the heart of downtown West City. Gohan was watching the fight unfold, and he seemed to have a confused look on his face. The others in the group followed suit and what they saw was of particular interest to Vegeta.

All of the newcomers who were fighting each other wore the old armor he used to wear when he was in Freeza's employ. He figured there would be some stragglers scattered here and there through the cosmos when he destroyed their home world...just as he, himself, was when Freeza blew up the Saiyan world. However, these combatants all seemed to be one race and not the amalgam of races that made up Freeza's planet brokerage group. They were all Human like in appearance, with dark, unruly hair and...

"No...it can't be..."

Goku looked at Vegeta, "What? What is it?"

"Look down there and tell me what you see?"

Goku looked at the carnage being wrought by the invaders. "I see a bunch of people fighting, who are going to hurt some innocent unless we get down there and stop them."

"No Kakarotto...Find one of them and look at them closely...look at their features and then tell me what you see. Do you notice anything odd about them?"

Again, Goku looked at the invaders. They just looked like normal people to him. Only they appeared to be Saiyans. From the armor and the hair right down to their..."Tails? They have tails?"

"Exactly."

Videl wasn't sure what was going on. "Hey, Gohan! What are they talking about? I mean, it is weird that those people fighting down there have tails, but what--?"

"It's important because they could be Saiyans, like us," Gohan answered. "When a Saiyan is born, it has a tail. When a Saiyan with a tail looks into the moon, it turns into a giant monster with incredible power. All of us have had our tails removed a long time ago. But this group still seems to have theirs."

"Well, that's all well and good," Videl said, "but this group of Saiyans is demolishing the city with their fight. We can't just float up here questioning their species forever. We have to do something."

**        **

"TRUNKS! TRUNKS, WHERE ARE YOU?" It happened every time. Whenever Bulma needed to go shopping with Vegeta or Trunks, they always managed to disappear whenever she turned away for a split second. "I swear I need to come up with some sort of solution or device that makes it impossible to fly off anywhere when we need to go shopping." As she finished her mumbled tirade, she spotted her wayward son, looking as though he was staring off into space. "Trunks! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"You better be careful here mom," Trunks warned her. "It looks like some people are fighting out there."

"Fighting?" Bulma cast her vision down the block and, sure enough, she spotted two figures engaged in combat. Even though they were quite some distance away, she was able to make out that distinctive feature her husband caught, unbeknownst to her, "Tails???"

One of the figures, the one furthest away, fired a ki blast at their opponent. The other figure deftly dodged out of the way, watching as the ki blast sailed right by them and directly at Bulma and Trunks. The figure closest to them seemed to look skyward for some reason. Then it disappeared from Bulma's view, only to reappear right in front of them. That was when she got a good look at the figure and was startled yet again.

"A girl?"

The girl, in question put her arms in front of her face and the ki blast connected, exploding on impact. Instinctively, Bulma grabbed Trunks and covered him up to shield him from any flying debris. When the dust settled, the, apparent female Saiyan was down for the count.

Out of nowhere, it seemed, three male Saiyans descended from the sky hovered around the female. "Chisha, are you okay?" One of them asked.

The female, Chisha, groaned a bit, than sat up. "I'll live." She picked herself up off of the ground and made herself ready for the next assault.

**        **

The four would be peacekeepers continued to watch the proceedings with interest, wondering how best to quell the situation. That was until Vegeta caught sight of the energy blast and subsequent explosion. He bared his teeth in a dangerous snarl. Bulma and Trunks had nearly gotten caught in that blast. But one of the fighters put herself out to protect them. It was clear to Vegeta now which side he was going to take.

His golden aura exploding to life around him, Vegeta left his comrades behind to face off with the one who nearly killed his wife and son. As he touched down, he idly noticed that the one who fired the ki blast was a female, just as the one who saved them. It didn't matter, though. "You," he said to the woman with a growl. "You nearly killed my wife and son!"

The woman's eyes widened, as if she knew who he was and what was to come from her actions. "Oh crap..." Her own aura erupted about her in the same golden hue, as she became a Super Saiyan, as Vegeta had. 

However, faster than she could follow, Vegeta closed the distance between them and landed a thunderous punch in her stomach. He smiled. Even though they were both Super Saiyans, he was still far stronger than she was. Doubling over from the punch, her face became a very easy target for Vegeta's next blow. The resulting uppercut was strong enough to propel her into the sky.

Going in for the kill, Vegeta charged his energy into his hands and fired at her, causing yet another explosion. After which, the only trace of the woman was a smoke trail that raced away from the city at high velocity.

Another pair of Saiyan males watched, horrified at what happened to their teammate. "Ocara!" One of them cried out. As they both turned their attention back to the matter at hand, they found themselves face to face with the Saiyan Prince.

"You should be more selective in whom you team up with," he said. He gave them two deft kicks, one to the chin and one to the side of the head. Neither of them had the benefit of being Super Saiyans, so the force of Vegeta's blows was easily enough to separate their heads from the rest of their bodies.

Touching down to street level, Vegeta spat at the lifeless forms of two of the invaders. That will teach them to endanger his family. At that, he made his way over to them. As he did, he passed the four remaining newcomers. From the appearances of their faces, they seemed slightly in awe of his power. That didn't last, though, as the woman spoke, "I wouldn't expect anything less from the Prince of our people." After she spoke, she bowed before him, her teammates mimicking her.

Vegeta gave them a 'humph' and continued to his family. "Bulma. Trunks. Are you okay?"

"Yeah dad," Trunks said. "We're fine."

It was then that Goku, Gohan and Videl decided to join them. Videl also had a look of awe on her face. "Wow...that was...wow..." she went.

"Don't you think you were a little over the top with that, Vegeta?" asked Gohan.

"Feh. They deserved worse."

"Well, you could have saved some for us, you know," Goku added. Gohan glared at him. "What? I was just kidding."

Vegeta turned his attention back to the newcomers. "Now, who are you?"

"Ah, my apologies sire. My name is Chisha. I am the squad leader. And these are my men: Korin," She pointed to a man, probably only a few inches taller than Vegeta. He sported the older armor that didn't have she shoulder guards. His hair, for the most part, kept in a ponytail that was currently falling over his shoulder in front of him. "...Sato..." Sato resembled Raditz, only his hair was only shoulder length. "...and Jaga." Another look alike, Jaga was a hulking figure, like Nappa. But Jaga was a dark skinned man who sported a full head of hair that came down the sides like dreadlocks.

"We were sent here to apprehend that group of criminals you killed for us," she continued. "We had no idea that we would find you living here, sire...you, the Prince of all Saiyans..."

"Is that so?" Vegeta went. "I think I would like to hear more. I would like for you to come to my place. I have a lot of questions."

"Of course."

As they started towards Capsule Corp, Gohan whispered to his father, "What in the world could those others have done to become criminals in a SAIYAN society?"

Goku shuddered, "Ugh...I'm afraid to even think about it."

**            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **

"...So let me get this straight," went Vegeta after the whole group returned to the Capsule Corp. building and their guests told them their story. "There were other Saiyans who survived Freeza's attack. And once you found out our world was dead you made a new one for yourself?"

"Exactly," said Chisha. 

"So what? There just happened to be an uninhabited world capable of sustaining life nearby and you started a whole new society?"

"Of course not," Jaga boomed, proudly. "We got a new world for ourselves the way a Saiyan should. We TOOK one. Yeah, the native inhabitants of that world didn't like it, but they didn't protest for long." 

Vegeta couldn't help but smile. "So, how many of you live on this new world?"

"We managed to get the population back up to a few hundred thousand," Korin stated. "I'm sure we could've had a lot more by now, but as your highness is sure to know, trying to court a Saiyan woman is a royal pain in the ass." Chisha glared at him and he shot her a glare in return.

"A whole new Saiyan civilization, huh?" Goku said. "I must admit, my exposure to Saiyan civilization hasn't been all that great. But you guys seem to be different than the few Saiyans I've met."

"You are Kakarotto, yes?" asked Chisha. "Truth be told, after the other survivors gathered and we started our new world, we didn't think we would find another Saiyan alive. But now we have two...and they have families. It's really quite a shock."

"It's a bit of a shock to us as well," went Goku.

"Say, I have a good idea. Why don't you two come back with us to see our new home world?" Chisha looked at Vegeta, "It would be very interesting to see what you think of what we have built in the time since our old home was destroyed."

Vegeta raised his eyebrow, "Why would that be?"

"Curiosity. It would be interesting to know what a surviving member of the old ruling family would think of our new culture."

"Don't get us wrong, lord," interjected Korin. "With all due respect, we don't want you to come back and take your throne as King. We have done very well without a King for all these years and we would rather not go back to having one."

Chisha nodded. "As I said before, we would just like to show you what we have done for ourselves and hear your opinion."

Vegeta considered her request for a moment, and then said, "That would be fine. I'm interested in seeing this new home of yours as well."

"Excellent."

"Um...hold on...wait..." interrupted Bulma, overhearing the whole conversation. "Vegeta, may I have a word with you, please?"

"Yeah," Goku added, "excuse us. This will only take a moment."

As the woman and two Saiyans walked out of the room, Chisha turned her attention to Gohan, who had been silent until then. She sauntered over to him and put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Once she had it, she favored him with a come hither look. "You are Kakarotto's son, are you not?"

Gohan suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "Uuuh...yeah."  
"I hope you will also be going to see our home world. I know there are plenty of interesting things I could...show you." She put her free hand on one of Gohan's and continued, "And pay no mind to Korin's bitter tirade. Saiyan courtship can be quite...fulfilling."

Gohan's nervousness tripled, thanks to the proximity of this new, but very attractive woman who was clearly hitting on him. The icy stares he was getting form Korin and Videl didn't help him any. "Er...ah...Sorry, but I don't think I'll be going with you. I'm sure I have some important things I have to take care of here."

"*Tsk* Pity. I'm sure we could've had a lot of fun together," she said to him as she walked away.

Videl grabbed Gohan's arm and muttered under her breath, "Yeah...I'm sure you would have...tramp..."

**        **

"Vegeta, what do you think you're doing?" yelled Bulma. "Just because you meet some people that claim to be Saiyans, you're going to rocket off into space and not even consult me about it?"

"This is a Saiyan matter, woman," he said. "It doesn't concern you."

"The hell it doesn't!"

"Vegeta," Goku said, trying to keep this from becoming another shouting match. "Don't you find this whole thing rather odd? I mean..."

"Of course this whole thing is fishy," Vegeta butted in. "It's not as if we haven't gone through something like this before. And if you could tell this, Kakarotto, there's no way I could miss it. Someone is playing a very cruel joke on us. Either that, or someone is trying to lure us into some sort of trap. Do you see now why I have to go, Bulma? Someone is desecrating the memory of my people for some stupid plot. I am not going to let it slide. For the honor of the great Saiyan race, I'm going to crush whoever is behind this."

"I-" started Bulma, "I understand. I know if I were in your place, I would want to do the same thing." Bulma turned away from him. 'I just hope nothing really bad happens to him this time as it did with that Majin Buu fiasco. I haven't gotten the chance to tell him yet-'

"Say Bulma? Could you be a pal and let Chichi know that I'm going also? Appreciate it! Thanks!" went Goku, as he scurried off quickly.

"HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!!!"

**            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **

**            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **            **


	2. Vicious Circle 2

When most people think of the desert, they think of a barren wasteland, devoid of life. In most cases, however, that isn't the case. There are many different types of animals and vegetation that call the desert home. A certain bandit, for example...

Dressed in an orange gi that he thought he would never wear again in his life, Yamucha walked; directionless and without purpose, just as his life had become all those years ago…It's true that he could have flown, but as he was on a trip to nowhere anyway, he wasn't in that much of a hurry. Besides, he wouldn't have been able to enjoy the scenery.

The sun was slowly descending in the western sky, marking the end of another day. It had been a few days since Yamucha had left Puar on Master Roshi's island...or was it a few weeks? Yamucha wasn't sure anymore. The days seemed to be a jumble to him anymore. So lost was he in his personal hell, keeping track of time wasn't that important.

Exhausted, emotionally more than physically, Yamucha found a rock and sat down on it. He figured that since night was coming soon, it would only be proper if he set up camp. He wasn't sure when the last time he slept was. It didn't matter to him before, but now that he thought about it, it seemed like a good idea. His rumbling stomach reminded him that he also couldn't remember the last time he ate anything and that getting some food would be a good idea too.

With that, Yamucha began setting up his tent. Truth be told, the area he was in now seemed all right. It was very peaceful. The wildlife didn't pose much of a problem, and best of all, there weren't any people for miles. If he got Puar and they moved out here permanently, then it would be just like old time. Of course, Puar did have reservations of ever living in another desert. She had gotten too used to the comforts that technology brought. To be perfectly honest, Yamucha had gotten very used to those comforts himself. Maybe he could convince Puar to change her mind about the desert life if there was a compromise of some sort.

With the chore of setting up camp and the thoughts running through his head, Yamucha almost missed it, but his heightened senses alerted him to the faint presence of another person. So much for that thought of there not being anyone else around for miles. 

Cautiously, Yamucha crept to the source of the reading he picked up. He didn't think that anyone would go through the trouble of following him on his aimless travels to set up an ambush in the middle of nowhere, but as a seasoned warrior, he knew not to take any chances.

Finally, he came upon a female body lying in the dirt, covered in sand and dried blood. Checking his surroundings to make sure this time that no one else was around, he knelt beside her. Giving her a once over, he discovered three things...One: she was covered in bruises. With the looks of them, she was in a major battle. Two: she was breathing. So it looked like she got out of that battle with her life, but just barely. And then, there was three...she had a tail.

"I don't believe this...she's a damned Saiyan!" Yamucha exclaimed to no one. But how could that have been? Goku and Vegeta were the only full Saiyans left. And certainly, neither of them had any girls...this was strange.

Of course, with the way Turles and Paragus appeared from out of the blue, there really was no telling how many Saiyan stragglers were out there. And there were those seven power readings he felt before. Could she have been one of them? That could mean that there are six more of them out there. Just what he needed...more Saiyans.

Scowling, Yamucha stood up and walked back to his camp. Let her die. She'd be doing the world a favor. In mid step, Yamucha froze, with two disturbing thoughts running through his head. 'That was what Vegeta would've done. What would Goku do?' After inwardly struggling for a few moments, Yamucha's shoulders slumped a little bit and he let out a defeated sigh. He, then, turned around, scooped the unconscious alien into his arms and started back for his camp.

"Damned conscious..."

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Vicious Circle

Part 2

The Kai from the northern quadrant of the galaxy wasn't in a good mood. The Otherworld training/tournament area was a nice place to visit, but he really didn't want to have to live there. It was always so crowded. Beings from all over the galaxy congregated there to train and become stronger. That led to frequent fights that caused major property damage.

He missed those quiet days where he could lounge in his recliner and come up with his universally (in)famous jokes, with nary a soul around to bother him, save Bubbles and Gregory. He really missed having his own planet. Many people would say that life sucked. Well, the Northern Kai would tell you that death sucked just as much.

Like now...here he was, just minding his own business, sitting in a chair and taking in some refreshments and enjoying the sunny day...when he had to deal with an interruption.

"Excuse me, sir." The offending party was Oboro, a hulking, Atlas-like figure that was one of his strongest pupils, second only to Goku.

"Yes, Oboro?" went Kaio, slightly annoyed. "What is it?"

"Some of the newcomers from the west quadrant seem to have gotten a little too high on themselves. They've challenged us from your quadrant to a match...a mini tournament."

Of course. It had to be from HIS quadrant. None of the four Kais really got along, but the North Kai and the West Kai were the worst. Just the mention of those trouble makers being from the west made him forget his mood and got his competitive juices flowing. However, with his strongest student not available to him, he harbored some reservations...

"Paikkon isn't going to be involved, is he?" Paikkon was the strongest warrior the West Kai had in his camp. Only Goku was able to best Paikkon in battle...and even he had trouble.

"No sir," Oboro answered. "Paikkon's on assignment elsewhere."

"Oh...well, in that case, you tell them that they're on! I'll go and get permission from Daikaio to have the match."

"Yes sir!" With that, the two went off in opposite directions.

As he headed into the main palace, the North Kai chuckled to himself, mischievously. 

"Hehehehe...I wonder if ole West Kai would be willing to make another wager? I would still like to get my hands on his planet..." 

The Northern Kai pushed his way through the large, elegant double doors and made his way into Daikaio's palace. He was always impressed by the grand opulence of the amazing structure. However, something seemed out of place. He couldn't quite put his finger on it right away. As he got closer to the throne room, he finally noticed how eerily silent it was in the halls.

"That's odd," Kai said to himself. "Usually, at this point, I'm deafened by the loud music from his boom box..."

He pushed his way through another set of large double doors and poked his head inside. He let out an audible 'gasp' when he found his lord, Daikaio collapsed in front of his throne, unconscious...

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

As is customary for the warriors of earth, Gohan and Videl flew out into the middle of an uninhabited desert area, so that they could train without running the risk of injuring any innocent civilians. It was hoped by both that nothing would happen in Satan city that would require the services of the Great Saiyaman duo while they were away.

As the two soared through the air exchanging blows, Videl couldn't help but smile broadly. She had made great strides since her new training regime started. She, finally, learned the finer points of ki manipulation and projection. At long last, she can expand her aura to aid her flight, allowing her to fly faster than she ever thought possible.

This was more than she could have ever dreamed of as a martial artist. For such a long time, she had fanaticized that she had the same kind of power Gohan and his friends commanded, so that she could stand beside them in the face of danger. Now that she had her power, and the proper training in how to use that power, she felt she was ready for anything. Even though, in the back of her mind, she knew that there were still others out there more powerful than she...Gohan, for example, she couldn't help but feel a little invincible. 

Even though things were moving at speeds she wouldn't have been able to keep up with not too long ago, it appeared to her as if they were fighting in slow motion. She could easily tell here his shots would come in, so she could block or avoid them. It was also easy to spot openings, which she could exploit.

 *Wa-POW! *

Like that one.

Slowly, Videl descended from the sky and landed lightly on the Earth below, as Gohan picked himself up from the pile of rubble that used to be a stone spire. Obviously Gohan was okay, as it would take far more than she or the rocks could muster to harm him. Still, Videl was concerned.

"What's the matter, Gohan?" she asked him.

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little distracted."

"I would say so. There's no way I should've been able to tag you the way I did." She put her hand on his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "What's going on?"

Gohan looked at her, hesitating for a moment. Finally, he caved in, "I overheard dad and Vegeta talking in the gravity room. It seems I did what I do best..."  
"What would that be?"

"I let dad down...I let everybody down."

Videl was somewhat taken aback by his answer. "What do you mean?"

Gohan plopped back down on the ground, hanging his head. "It's a recurring theme with me. Every time my family or friends needed me, I let them down. I was supposed to be the one to defeat Majin Buu and I blew it. I look back now on how that whole mess went and I could see numerous ways in which I could've finished him off so that dad could've rested in peace."

"Aww, come on, Gohan," went Videl, trying to be comforting, "Everything turned out okay in the end. Besides, you can't get this bent out of shape over that one time..."

"That's the thing…it wasn't just the one time. It's happened time and time again. Even with Cell, I couldn't handle that situation without messing up. It was because of my stupidity that lead to my dad dying that time." Gohan gave Videl a bitter smile. "I know you guys felt kinda useless since you didn't have the power we do to fight off some of those beings we fight off...but hey...look at me. I'm the most powerful one here and I still manage to be useless."

Videl crossed her arms. "Now you stop that. This angst thing isn't like you and I'm not going to let you start that now. Okay...I understand how you feel about your messing up...that's why we train, so that we can make sure that we don't mess up again. And besides, in my short time as a part of your group, I've learned that the opportunity to make up for past mistakes will present itself to you when you least expect it." She got a handle on one of his arms and yanked him up, "Now come on and let's get back to training."

The look on Gohan's face made it clear that he no longer felt up to training. Videl gave him a sideways glance and a devilish grin. She reached behind him, gathered her ki and used her newfound ability to project ki to zap him on the behind.

"HEY!!!!!"

The grin on her face grew, watching her boyfriend rubbing his stinging butt. She got into a fighting stance and said, "Bet I got your attention with that one."

Gohan narrowed his eyes at her, but a gleeful smile appeared on his face. "Oh, that's it! You're going down!"

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

In Yamucha's area of the world, the night passed without further incident. The sun was slowly making it's way up the eastern horizon, marking the beginning of a new day. His new friend still hadn't regained consciousness, however. 

He didn't know how bad a shape she was really in and didn't want to chance moving her any more than he had to. The injuries he could see of her appeared quite severe. He dressed them as best he could with the natural healing items he could find in the sparse vegetation of the area. There was no way to tell about internal injuries, though. 

Obviously, the course of action needed was for him to take her to Korin Tower and get her a senzu bean. He felt it best, though, that he wait until she was awake to assess her situation further. He didn't know how long that would take, though...and he certainly didn't want to leave her out in the elements as she was. So he had no choice to stay by her side and wait.

If there was one thing he knew about the Saiyans, even though he loathed to give them any complements, they were a stubborn breed. If she hadn't died from her injuries right away, then it's a good bet that she would recover, which meant that he could afford to wait it out.

He stoked the fire burning underneath the recently deceased animal that would serve as breakfast for the day. It was too bad he didn't think to bring any supplies with him. Breakfast would taste a lot better if he were able to season it up properly. As it stood now, though, he wasn't going to complain. It had been a while since he last ate and the aroma it was giving off was more than satisfactory.

"Uuuun"

Alarmed by the sound, Yamucha turned to his guest. Looked as though she was finally coming around. He bet it was the smell of the food cooking over the open flame that got her attention. Not only were the Saiyans sturdy, but they were ravenous eating machines. So it would figure that she chose now to wake up.

Yamucha made his way over to her and knelt beside her. Despite himself, he had to admit that she was very attractive. The old Saiyan armor she wore accentuated her curves more than hid them; though it was clear with the condition the armor was in, it wouldn't offer her much protection anymore. As it was with every Saiyan he met, her hair was spiky; however, it looked as though it was better kept than most as it all flowed to her back, except for two thick strands that fell in front of her face. As she slowly opened her eyes, he noticed, again, that she met the Saiyan stereotype by having dark eyes.

"Hey," went Yamucha, as her weary gaze met his own. "Finally waking up, huh?"

Either she was going from her last memory and thought she was still in battle, or the new face she was confronted with startled her. Either way, the injured Saiyan lady screamed and fired a ki blast in Yamucha's face that threw him back a good twenty feet.

Yamucha sat up and easily shook off the effects of her attack. "Pfft...that went well."

Slowly, the Saiyan woman got to her feet and tried to regain her bearings. Seeing the meat on the flame not far away, she made a grab for it and stumbled skyward, flying off who knows where.

"Feh...I try to be the good guy and this is the thanks I get, huh?" fumed Yamucha. "To hell with her. I should've gone ahead and let her die"

However, that nagging feeling that hit Yamucha before struck him again. As he thought before, the Saiyans were a stubborn breed. If she were to rest, then without a doubt, she would've made a full recovery. By the way she was exerting herself, though, in her condition, she wouldn't have lasted long. 

She certainly would die. And he, who had the ability to help her, would just stand aside and let it happen? That certainly would be the Saiyan way. But where would the Humanity be in that?

With a deep scowl on his face, Yamucha picked himself up and launched himself skyward, going after the injured woman.

"Damned conscious..."

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **


	3. Vicious Circle 3

"This is a sad state of affairs..."

Somewhere on the vast planet known as Earth, a trio of demons hid, plotting revenge against the Humans who defeated them. While it was true that they used the Humans to escape servitude from the entity known as Xeon, they were still made the fool while doing so. They weren't about to let such a slight go unpunished.

"The three of us...the most powerful of the demon race, forced into seclusion...by HUMAN'S nonetheless..."

However, that was easier said than done. They were strong, but their feared king, Dabura was far stronger. Still, he managed to meet a very messy demise in the mortal realm. These Humans were unlike anything they had meet before. Even if they trained their hardest and attained power that would make even the great Dabura tremble, who knew how much stronger these Humans were.

To say the least, the head of the three, G'nola, found the situation very frustrating. "With Dabura gone, we should be reigning supreme in our realm! We should be crushing these mortals under our heels and making them our servants! Not cowering in fear like children!"

"Is that really true?" wondered another of the group, Grahm. "With all of our strength, we're still far below Dabura's full power. With training, I'm sure we would equal him eventually. Still, even at the height of his power, someone managed to kill him...a mortal at that."

G'nola looked at him with a sneer on his face, "And what's your point?"

"The point is that it should be no surprise we are in the predicament. If King Dabura was slain here, then what chance would we have?"

G'nola sat down with his back turned to his comrades. His frustration building, he slammed his fist into the ground, causing a sizable hole. "Damn it all..."

"Did I come at a bad time?"

The three demons leapt to their feet at the comment from the newcomer, surprised, as they never detected his approach. They found themselves face to face with a curious looking fellow half their size. G'nola couldn't believe the sheer audacity of these mortal scum. To dare interrupt their discussion? He was going to make sure this diminutive person wouldn't live to regret his mistake.

The eyes of the third among them widened and his mouth fell agape as recognition hit him. "Guys... you aren't going to believe this..." went O'ro. "He's...he's one of THEM!"

"What are you talking about?" inquired G'nola impatiently. "One of whom?"

"Well, look! Look at him!"

Both G'nola and Grahm studied the stranger closely, trying to figure out just what O'ro was talking about. Even with G'nola's building rage, it didn't take long for either to figure out what he was trying to say.  
"Unbelievable!" muttered Grahm.

G'nola cracked his knuckles, "I can't believe one of you would appear before us in this way. But I am so glad you did. I needed a stress reliever."

The newcomer responded to the threat with a smirk, but stayed silent otherwise. With a vicious grin, G'nola charged. He propelled his closed fist outward where the interloper's face was supposed to be, but met nothing but air. He had just enough awareness to find the newcomer in mid flip above him, just before he was driven into the ground courtesy of a stomp from said newcomer.

"I did not come here to fight you. Trust me, if that were my intention, you three would've been dead before you even knew I was here."

G'nola struggled to look up at him, "Then what do you want?"

"To offer you a deal..."

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Vicious Circle

Part 3

After what seemed like forever, the space trip was over and the spheroid Capsule Corp. ship touched down. Before the door could even open fully, Vegeta flew out, as much to survey his new surroundings as to get away from Goku. As much as Vegeta was forced to respect his fighting prowess, he could only take Goku in small doses and having to share close quarters with him for so long was maddening.

In contrast, when the door fully opened, Goku leisurely strode down the steps. As Vegeta did before him, he gave his new surroundings a quick look. Even though both knew this was likely another plot to do them in, he couldn't help but be impressed by what these Saiyans had built. The buildings, while none towered in size, were very well constructed. From what he understood about his own race, they were mainly fighters. The thought of Saiyan architects was somewhat baffling to him. Honestly, he couldn't think of how else these buildings could've been erected, though. Since they did claim to conquer this planet from another race, Goku was expecting nothing but devastated ruins, not this almost pristine city.

They had landed in what appeared to be the central park of the city. There weren't any toys or areas for children to play...oddly enough, there weren't any children. What was present, though, were several paved islands in the grass, where Saiyans trained diligently.

"Huh..." Vegeta grunted. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this was some sort of Saiyan utopia. Just like home...only better..." Vegeta had scant few memories of what his home world was like, as Freeza took him away at an early age. But the memories he did have were vivid. The buildings on Planet Vegeta were marvels of design...nothing like what was on this planet. But that was no wonder...the Tsufruu were marvelous designers. However, the place had a dark atmosphere to it, and the streets were littered with garbage.

This place, on the other hand, was spectacular. While the design of the buildings didn't compare, there was hardly any trash anywhere. The skies were bright, and the inhabitants of the city were a bit too civil. True the Saiyans on Vegeta weren't barbarians towards each other, but they were usually on the ruckus side and would cause the odd public disturbance. These people...didn't.

Goku, for his part, couldn't help but take another look around after Vegeta's comment. He had no memory of his home world, with being whisked away as a newborn and the amnesia. Being raised a Human, the revelation that he was actually from another world...a long dead world...it was quite a shock. While he dearly loved his friends and family, with that knowledge, a part of him, deep inside...a part that he kept secret, felt itself suddenly disconnected and longed to find out more about his own people.

Of course, every encounter with a Saiyan; Paragas, Brolli, Radditz, Nappa, Turles, all had to end with their deaths, or it would've meant the deaths of those Goku cared about and/or Goku himself. And Vegeta wasn't someone a person could bond and share stories with. So Goku's curiosity about his heritage was never satisfied. He sincerely hoped that he and Vegeta were wrong about these people. It would've been nice to get to know them.

"There you are!" The leader of the squad they met on Earth, Chisha, descended form the sky, landing softly in front of them. "So, what do you think of our new home?"

"It looks great!" offered Goku.

"I'm glad you think so, Kakarotto," she said, smiling. She looked at Vegeta for his opinion. He grunted but said nothing.

"That means he's pretty impressed with it too," Goku said. Vegeta glared at him but remained silent.

She laughed. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm sure you're hungry after that long trip. Let's get you something to eat."

"HEY! I'm all for that!" Goku almost jumped out of his skin at the mention of food. "Oh, but first, we gotta get the boys out of the ship."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

"Hey Goten! Trunks! You can come out now!"

Trunks' voice could be heard inside the ship, "Crap! Busted!" With their heads hung low, knowing they were in for a good yelling at, the two young stowaways slowly exited the ship.

As for the yelling part...Vegeta made sure not to disappoint them. "What are you two doing here? You were supposed to stay back on Earth!"

"Aw, c'mon, dad!" pleaded Trunks. "You're always talking about how I'm s'pose to be proud of being Saiyan and stuff...What better way to learn what I'm s'posed to be proud of than to see some up close? Besides, we wanna see if there are some strong fighters up here!"

Vegeta's face darkened. He was going to say more, but Goku cut him off, "Hey, cut the kids some slack, Vegeta. There's really no harm in them being here. They can handle themselves."

Vegeta walked up to Goku and countered with a stern whisper, "Can you be sure there's no harm? You DO remember why we're here, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," went Goku. "Even if it is a trap, though, have you sensed anyone that would really pose a threat to us?"

"In case recent history has been lost upon you, power levels can be suppressed."

"It'll be fine."

Chisha knelt down to examine the two warrior toddlers. "Heh...I can tell just looking at you that you are quite powerful yourselves. You two really take after your dads. Now, let me guess..." She looked between the two boys and pointed at Trunks, "Let me guess...you're Kakarotto's son, right?"

Trunks facefaulted. "Wha-?? What are you talking about???"

"Heh...just kidding."  
"Hey, she got you good, Trunks!" Goten said, laughing. Trunks grumbled in response.

Chisha mussed Goten's hair playfully, "You certainly are the spitting image of your father. You'd better be careful, or some girl is going to snatch you up and make you her boyfriend."

"Really?"

Trunks looked at him like he was crazy, "You mean you would WANT a girlfriend???"

"Sure! It'd be cool! She could cook great food for me all the time like mom does for dad!"

Goku's stomach started rumbling loudly at Goten's use of the magic words. "Speaking of food..."

Chisha laughed again. "Of course. Follow me."

-----------------------------------------------

Cursing continuously under his breath, Yamucha continued following the Saiyan woman that escaped his care. Somehow, he knew he was going to regret his actions regarding her. While a growing, seething hatred for everything Saiyan had taken root in his heart and was growing by the moment, he was still guided by will to do the right thing. He couldn't let someone die if he was able to help.

Well...that may have been part of it. However, there was something a little more selfish about Yamucha's motives. As much as he wanted to let the woman go off and die from her injuries, he figured to do so would be the way a Saiyan would do things. He wanted to prove himself above Saiyans in that regard.

Sensing her aura, Yamucha stopped. "Huh...there she is..." She was directly below him, laying on the ground in a fetal position, clutching her ribs. Her face was contorted in agony and her breathing was very shallow. She would die soon, if he didn't do anything.

Landing a couple of meters away, he walked up to her cautiously. Sensing his approach, the Saiyan woman's eyes flew open. She leapt up to her feet and stared Yamucha down.

Living in the wilderness as long as he had, Yamucha could recognize the look she had in her eyes. She was a wounded animal...one that felt backed into a corner. She was poised to strike at any moment. Yamucha sighed to himself; all of this because he was trying to do a stupid good deed.

The woman powered into Super Saiyan mode and launched her strike. Through the thrown punches and kicks, Yamucha could see the pained desperation in the woman's eyes. He supposed he could empathize. Here she was, mortally wounded on an alien world, not knowing who her friends were. He supposed if he were in a similar situation, he would react the same way.

As he danced around her attacks, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He doubted she would've stood a chance against him even if she were at full health. It sort of felt like he was picking on her. Being weak and having someone stronger pick on you was something else Yamucha could empathize with. He needed to incapacitate her without further injuring her already severely damaged body. He opted for the simplest method: moving faster than she could follow, he went behind her and gave her a chop to the side of her neck, causing her to collapse in a heap.

"Trust me, you'll be thanking me for this," Yamucha said to her unconscious form. Carefully he scooped her into his arms and gave a second thought to what he said. "Pfft...as if Saiyans know the first thing about gratitude..."

Surrounding himself with is incredible aura, he launched himself skyward in the direction of Korin's Tower.

-----------------------------------------------

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How about that. It deletes asterisks automatically so I can't use my normal separators. Thanks for yet another unnecessary change FFN.


	4. Vicious Circle 4

In a mountainous region overlooking the village of Celeron, Tenshinhan trained. He now possessed power he could only have dreamed of at one point. It wasn't the way he wanted to attain it, though. It felt like cheating in a way. But after everything he had been through recently, he found himself not really minding the shortcuts.

As the days wore on after the mess with Xeon, Tenshinhan found the memories of what the tyrant did while in his body began to surface. He loathed thinking of what may have happened had Yamucha not stopped him in time.

Tenshinhan cursed and pushed himself harder. He was never one to be helpless. But from the first appearance of the androids until that point, that's all he had been. After gaining that one fluke victory over Goku so many years ago, he had been left far behind. His latest foray into battle was especially embarrassing. He wasn't even able to be a good decoy against Majin Buu while he battled with Gohan. Goku, as he did so many times before, had arrived just in time to be the hero.

Having pushed himself passed the point of exhaustion; Tenshinhan flopped to the ground, and wiped his sweat soaked brow. Before he brought his hand down, he stopped to gaze at the manacles that adorned his wrists. At one time, the source of power for a despot, they now made sure that the days of Tenshinhan being an unwitting spectator while others fought for the fate of the world were over.

With a self-assured smile, he reclined on the soft grass beneath him. Recovering from his rigorous training regiment and watching the clouds roll by in the sky; he allowed his mind began to wander. He wondered whatever became of Yamucha. The one time desert bandit departed Roshi's island quite hastily. He remembered the despondent look Puar had on her face. He tried to reassure her as best as he could, but he worried as well. From what Puar told him, Yamucha hadn't been acting himself for quite some time.

His mind skipped from there to Chaozu and their new friend, Kassex. Kassex was quite an...interesting person, to say the least. He could tell she had the potential to become a very powerful mage. But the knowledge of her spells left much to be desired and her practice sessions were nothing short of terrifying (mainly why Tenshinhan was always training in the mountains...made a good excuse to get away from her). Still, she was a good person overall. And she and Chaozu looked to be very close.

The thought of that made him think about someone he was once close to but lost touch with because of several mitigating circumstances. Maybe it was time he finally tracked down Lunch and got reacquainted.

Tenshinhan snapped out of his revere and shot up into a ready position as he felt a twinge at his senses. He was no longer alone...

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z:

Vicious Circle

Part 4

'I am an idiot. I am such an idiot.'

The thoughts echoed through Yamucha's head over and over again, as he carried the unconscious Saiyan female to Korin's tower. As he got closer and closer, the thought that he was making a big mistake grew.

His Humanity battled fiercely with his common sense. On the one hand, this woman was gravely injured. He couldn't just sit by and let her die, knowing he could save her life. On the other hand, she was a part of the bane to his existence. She was one of them...she was one of Vegeta's people. Outside of Goku, every Saiyan they met wrought death and destruction down upon them all. If he were to leave her alone and she did die, that would solve the problem before it even began.

The thing was, every Saiyan they had the misfortune of meeting was male. He had no idea how this first encounter with a Saiyan female would go. As he fought her before, he figured even if she were in top shape fighting at full power, she still wouldn't stand a chance against him if she chose to start any trouble...trouble that could've been avoided right from the beginning if he had left her alone.

Round and round his thought processes went. The situation left him confused. He knew what the sensible thing to do in that situation was, and yet there he was doing the opposite. All of that left him with one conclusion...

'I am an idiot. I am such an idiot.'

Well...there was no turning back now. Korin's Tower was coming into view. Yamucha dispersed the aura to slow himself and expertly flew through the wide window. So many changes had taken place in the world and with him. With Korin's Tower, though, it looked as though time forgot to affect it. Everything was exactly the same as it was when he, Tenshinhan, Kuririn and Chaozu first scaled its heights. It left him longing, once again, for younger days, but he didn't have long to dwell on his thoughts.

"Hey, Yamucha. Been a long time," the short, stocky and somewhat cowardly sword-wielding martial artist known as Yajirobe greeted.

"Hey Yajirobe," Yamucha returned.

Yajirobe took notice of the rather stunning (and rather stunned) woman cradled in Yamucha's arms. He nudged Yamucha's arm with a wicked grin. "I've heard of picking up girls before, but isn't this a little ridiculous?"

"Ha ha," Yamucha deadpanned. He set the unconscious woman down onto the ground gently. "She isn't my type. Trust me..."

Wonder why? The woman did seem very lovely...except for those bruises...The bruises weren't all that out of place on her, though. From her well-toned body, and somewhat calloused knuckles, it wasn't hard to deduce that she was a martial artist herself. Must've been quite a fight she was involved in.

Fortunately, the bruises did nothing to obstruct her comely face. Yajirobe smiled deviously, appreciating her ample bosom as it rose and fell with her ragged breathing. The black body suit she wore was torn at the waist, revealing a fine toned stomach and...wait...what was that draped across her torso?

"A tail? You mean she's a Saiyan???"

Yamucha smiled. "Heh...that's exactly how I reacted."

"Except for Goku, we haven't exactly had the best luck with these Saiyans," Yajirobe pointed out. "What are you gonna do with her?"

Yamucha paused momentarily, then said, "Well...she hasn't done anything yet to show that she's a threat to anyone. A part of me wants to just let her die, but that wouldn't be right. So, I'm going to help her get better, first. I'll deal with her if she does turn out to be dangerous."

"I'm glad to hear that." A small cat-like creature with a cane appeared from beyond a corner.

Yamucha bowed in respect, "Master Korin."

"I know you've been going through a lot of changes because of what you went through with the android, Neo, and that anger you've been holding on to for so long." He used his free paw to toss Yamucha a senzu bean. "I'm glad you haven't changed so much that you forgot how to do the right thing."

Yamucha caught the thrown bean and said with a smug look, "That's what separates us from the savages."

He knelt down and picked up the prone form half way, so that she was sitting up, her back leaning upon him. He squeezed her cheeks to part her mouth and stuck the bean in. The female warrior chose that time to regain consciousness. Seeing her predicament, she began to struggle and tried to remove the foreign object from her mouth. With a bit of a sigh, Yamucha clamped onto her face covering her mouth and with his free hand slugged her in the stomach, forcing her to swallow. Once the bean was downed, he released her.

She shot up and roared, her mighty aura flaring to life as she transformed into Super Saiyan mode. Yamucha stood also, waiting for her to make the first move, ready to take her back down if need be.

As the Saiyan woman poised herself to pounce on her perceived foe, something in her mind clicked. She stopped to check herself out and noticed something very important. "I...I'm not in pain anymore?" She looked at her arms, which were bloodied and quite dirty, but no longer appeared to have any wounds on them. She turned her gaze from her own body to the strange man standing before her, clearly confused. He merely huffed and turned his back on her.

Feeling more bewildered than threatened, her battle aura died and her spiky, golden hair fell dark brown and limp again.

"Good to see you finally realized you were among friends," Korin spoke up.

The woman looked down at Korin, "Where am I? Who are you people?"

"My name is Korin. Right now, you're in my place. That man over there is called Yamucha. He saved your life."

She looked back toward him, "...He did?"

Yajirobe nudged the white feline-person, "Hey, you didn't introduce me!"

"Oh, be quiet," went Korin.

This wasn't something the woman was accustomed to. She had kill or be killed drilled deep into her head. The strong conquer and the weak are crushed. The battle that left her in that critical condition certainly was proof of that. But this man...he certainly was stronger than she was. Yet, he went out of his way to help her recover. To put it mildly, she was very taken aback by his kindness.

She went up to him with her head lowered and her tail swaying behind her nervously. She found it hard to speak at first, but she forced the words to come out, "Thank you..."

It was Yamucha's turn to be taken aback. He looked at her, "...w-what?"

She looked at him directly, "Thank you. I owe you my life."

Clearly, this response wasn't what he expected. "Er...you're welcome. Wow...a gracious Saiyan. I must admit I'm very impressed. What's your name?"

"Krao. I take it you've dealt with Saiyans before?"

Yamucha nodded, "Quite a few of them. Most of them weren't very friendly. And to be honest, none of them have your manners. Goku's an okay guy, but he may as well have been raised by a pack of wolves. I won't even mention that Vegeta."

Krao's face darkened at the mention of the Saiyan Prince's name. "Vegeta...that bastard...he was the one who nearly killed me...and to think my group and I came to Earth to warn him of danger. I don't care what it takes, I want him to pay for what he did to me."

Yamucha's ears perked up as he heard that. "Really???" He smiled and continued, "Krao, I think this is the start of a very...fulfilling friendship..."

             ------------------------------------------------------------------------                           

Night had fallen on the new Saiyan planet. Chisha had showed Goku and his group to their room, and what a glorious room it was. Even Vegeta was impressed by the immaculateness of the place. It was better than any of the living areas in the Capsule Corp building.

The room was huge, probably five meters by five meters. It had two large beds pushed back to the wall in the center of the room. A dresser was against the wall next to the main door. The mirror attached to it was framed with a very intricate design that must've taken the sculptor many months to complete. That frame matched the frame of the beds as well. Opposite to the beds was an entertainment system, which matched the dresser and beds in design. The centerpiece to the system was a large 50" TV. Farthest into the room were two more doors. One door lead to a bathroom, the other to another room of similar design and dimensions for the boys to stay in. It rivaled the splendor of the entire town.

Goten and Trunks couldn't help but run to the window and take another look at the city. The view from their level was spectacular.

"Wow! This place is great!" exclaimed Goten. "It's a good thing we came too, isn't it, Trunks?"

"Yeah!" agreed Trunks. "I thought we were gonna fight against some strong guys, but this was pretty fun too."

"Not to mention that incredible food!" chimed Goku, referring to the large meal they had after their grand tour of the city. He found his spot on one of the beds and flopped down on it. "I think I could get used to this."

Vegeta had to say, everything was really good...too good. It was all quite...disarming. He had to hand it to the mastermind of this whole scheme. Whoever it was put in a lot of thought and effort into this charade. He was almost sorry they had to spoil everything.

Almost.

There was a twinge in Vegeta's senses that caught his attention. He turned to the main door, as did everyone else. Vegeta couldn't help but smile. "Heh...after all this they put together...after all the planning they had to have put into this, to get impatient now..." He shook his head.

"Yeah. I thought we would've had more time than this," added Goku. "I thought they would've at least waited until we were supposed to be sleeping."

There were a lot of energy readings outside of the door. None seemed particularly strong, but Vegeta knew better than to go just by that. However, even if the power levels he felt were accurate, the sheer number of them would make sure this was interesting.

"Hey dad," went Trunks. "Is it time for the fighting to start?"

Vegeta nodded, "Yes son. It's time for the fighting to start..."

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"Well, well, well. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Tenshinhan assessed the situation he was in a thousand times, and every time, he came to one conclusion. He was in some deep crap. These three strange things just appeared, as if from nowhere and surrounded him. To make matters worse, he could tell there was a fourth one near by, but he couldn't tell how strong that fourth guy was.

One problem at a time...which in this case, were the three problems around him. If his memory served him right, these were the three demon creatures Xeon summoned to serve him. But they turned on Xeon and left him to fend for himself. Why would they be reappearing now?

Tenshinhan figured it couldn't hurt to ask. "What is it you want?"

One of the demons, G'nola he believed, spoke up with a non too pleasant smile on his face, "Why you, of course."

"What for?"

"Aren't you the inquisitive one? Well, if you're so curious, why don't you come with us quietly? I can assure you, all of your questions will be answered."

"Sounds interesting," Tenshinhan said, feigning interest. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer."

"But we insist!" said one of the demons behind him, suddenly sounding too close for comfort.

Instinctively, Tenshinhan tilted his head to the left just in time to see a fist whiz by. They must've thought they were dealing with an amateur. He planted his elbow in the sternum of the attacking demon and for good measure gave him a hard kick to the head that launched him into his comrade, knocking both out of commission for a brief second.

He used that small opening to make his escape, shooting himself skyward. The third demon, G'nola, wasn't about to let his prey escape however. He caught up with Tenshinhan and the two began trading blows. Tenshinhan knew, though, that he didn't have long before the other demons recovered and would gang up on him. He struck the would-be kidnapper with a roundhouse kick that put some distance between them. Unfortunately, he noticed too late the other demon that made his way behind him.

The triclops was clubbed back to earth, crashing in a plume of smoke. Keeping up the pressure, the three demons overhead rained down a maelstrom of energy blasts. Even with his new strength, it was too much for the man to bear, and he collapsed in a heap from the brunt of the onslaught.

"That's enough, you three. Well done."

Tenshinhan tried to cast his gaze towards the owner of the new voice he heard. He could place the other three from Xeon's, albeit hazy memory, but this one was a mystery. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to focus his vision. All he could make out was a light purple blob where the stranger's face was supposed to be.

It became too much of an effort for Tenshinhan to even hold his head up. Just before he totally blacked out, he heard the fourth person say, "Carry him along with us. He's going to be the linchpin in the hell we're going to unleash..."

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End file.
